Healthy and fun summer treats

Launched in 2007, Catherine McCord, mom to Kenya and Chloe, created Weelicious.com as a platform to show parents around the world how easy and beneficial it is to expose children to wholesome, delicious homemade food. After personally struggling with how to feed Kenya, Catherine recognized a need for realistic and nutritious recipes for parents using minimal ingredients that are fully loaded with flavor; Weelicious now houses 750+ original recipes. Debuting a new recipe or tip daily and how-to cooking videos posted every Tuesday, Weelicious is a wealth of information for families.

Catherine published her first book, Weelicious: One Family. One Meal  in September 2012 and is coming out with her second book in August, Weelicious Lunches: Think Outside the Lunchbox. This serves as both a cookbook and a how-to guide, as Catherine speaks for countless parents faced with the daily challenge of packing lunches while taking into account individual taste, allergies, and food preferences. 

Kiwi Popsicles:

Ingredients

• 4 kiwis, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup orange, apple or pineapple juice
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 6 dixie cups*

Preparation

1. Place the kiwis and juice in a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Place 2 tablespoons of peas in each Dixie cup.
3. Cover peas with kiwi puree and stir to evenly distribute peas.
4. Freeze pops for 4-6 hours or until frozen through.  These can also be made in popsicle molds

Watermelon Cinnamon Granita

Ingredients

• 5 cups watermelon chunks
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup sugar

Preparation

1.  Place all of the ingredients in a blender and puree.
2.  Place the puree in an 8×8 inch Pyrex dish and put in the freezer for 1 hour.
3. Remove from the freezer and scrape with a fork to break up pieces.
4. Place back into freezer for 1 hour.
5. Remove from the freezer and scrape with a fork to break up pieces.
6. Repeat this process one or two more times over several hours until the granita is similar in consistency to shaved ice.
7. Serve (cover the dish with tin foil to keep the rest in the freezer).

PB & J Pops

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup milk, divided (any type of milk will work)
• 1/2 cup your favorite fruit preserves (i used raspberry)

Preparation

1.  Combine the peanut butter, honey and 1/2 cup of milk in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
2.  Whisk the preserves and the remaining milk in a separate bowl to combine.
3.  Pour both mixtures into 2 separate liquid measuring cups for easy pouring.
4.  Pour 2 tbsp of the peanut butter mixture into each Dixie cup, followed by 3 tbsp of the fruit preserves mixture.
5.  Freeze for 30 minutes.
6. Pour the remaining peanut butter mixture on top. Pok a popsicle stick in the middle of the cups.
7. Freeze for at least 6 hours or more.
8. Serve.